Aerial illuminating mechanism.



A'. J. AUSTIN. AERIAL ILLUMINATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED APR.17, 19 12. 1 039 476. Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

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I Y I ciwgg/f A. J, AUSTIN. AERIAL ILLUMINATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED APB.17, 1912.

1,039,476. 'Patenped Sept. 24,1912.

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aw V v g To all iolwm it may concern:

. ARCHIBALD J. AUSTIN, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AERIAL. ILLUMINATING MECHANISM.

insane,

'- Be it known that I, ARGHIBALD J.-AUSTIN,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of- Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and" State of California, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements 1n Aer1al Illuminating Mechanism, of which the folilluminating cities.-

lowing is auspecification.

' My invention pertains and it has-particular reference to means for a he invention prov 1des.a balloon or. other suspensional means for holding'or carrying a powerful Searchlight and reflectors whereby the light produced will be disseminated in'all directions downw'ardly, and it alsocomprises means for holding the gas field in a stable position, anctsuitable mechanism for elevating and holding the suspensional means, as will now be setforth in detail.

In the accompanying. drawing, Figure 1. isj, a ;-.view of a dirigible type of balloon, moored to suitable mechanism, and carry ing a" light and reflecting apparatus. Fig. 2. is an end, view {of the balloon. Fig. 3. is a section of'the' cable employed. Fig. i. is a view of aspherical type of balloon, with a modifiedtype .of lig ting and. reflecting apparatus. Fig. 5. is'a .vertical section of a reflector, with a Searchlight below the same, F ig. 6. is reflector as viewed from below, and Fig. 7. is a vertical section of a reflector with a reverse reflecting field below the main reflector. I

In carrying out understood that I contemplate using any suspensional means, which may be available to hold the light, and reflectors in stable position in the air." In general I purpose using some type of balloon which is moored to the earth by suitable means, and adapted to be raised or lowered to diiferent altitudes as lighting conditions may warrant, or require, and the balloon is equipped with a powerful Searchlight orv aplurality of small lights,

which project their beams againstsuitable reflecting surfaces, so that the beams may be projected downwardly to cover as large an area as'possible, and thus serve for lightin cities. In'this case I show a dirigible balloon 10 which carries beneath it a frame, work 11, to the'forward'end of whichthecable 13 is attached, this cable extending down to a drum 14, which is part of the- Snecification of Letters Patent.

to lighting systems,

my invention it is to be.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

- Application filed. April 17, 1912. Serial No. 691,522.

power plant from which the balloon'is moored.

The powerplant comprises a motor 15 to control the balloon, and a dynamo16 to supply an electric current for the light in the balloon, and Ipropose to have the hoisting cable 13 provided with a hollow core 17, within which the conductor 18 isplaced,

although it may be ind-ependent'of the sus- I pension cable.

The-dirigibli has at its forward end a plane 19 at each side, normally at an angle of incidence, and 'a pair of vertical fins 20 is also provided as shown in Fig; '1. The

rear end of the dirigible has vertical and longitudinal this 21, 22, so 'that the gas field is thus held in a stable position, when moored by the cable,- and the effect of a moving air current acting againstthe forward planes would be to elevate the dirigible as the nor-.

mal angle of incidence of the planes, acting in conjunction with its fixed posit-ion on the cable would tend to raise-the balloon and thus move it forwardly, instead of dragging it downwardly,ias would be the case without the forward planes. In this case I show the dirigible provided with a single light and re flector; although it is obvious that it may I carry two or more,

The reflector 24, may be parabolic in form, o of such other shape or outline in its reand in order to be able to construct a'large fleeting surface as experience may dictate,

reflecting surface, I provide a body 25 ofthe proper shape which has its inner surface covered with mirrors 26, which are. so shaped and disposed in abutting positions that they together form a reflecting surface which is very effective in propagating the light beams over a large area. This reflector is'secured to the frame of the dirigible in any suitable manner, and in order to utilize a Searchlight I may mount it either above or below the reflecting surface.

In Fig. 5, I show the searchlight 27 mounted below the reflector, so that it projects its beams upwardly, the light being supported by suitable stays 28, extending down from the reflector body, and, in practice the lightf'may be made adjustable, as to position, so that by raising or lowering the light the range or area of the beams projecting from the reflector may be varied. Instead, however, of mounting the light below the reflector I may locate it centrally above the reflector 29, as shown in Fig. 7 and project the beams downwardly. In this type of illuminator, I mount a "reflector -29 centrally below the reflector so that the earns from the light 30 will be reflected upwardly and outwardly from the reflector 29, and thus also serve for illuminating a large area.

I may also employ a spherical type of balloon 33, Fig. 4, which has stabilizing wings 33, andcprries a-reflector 34. Within this reflector a pluralityfof ordinary arc lights.

35 or other illuminating mechanism may be disposed in such a manner as to disseminate light, and this type'of structure and arrangement of light distribution is particularly serviceable where only small areas are to be illuminated.

I do not confine myself to any particular form of suspensional mechanism, nor to the,

character of the apparatus, employed to generate orproject the rays, asthese features may be modified without departing from the spirit of my invention. i

What I claim as new, is: 1. In a moored suspensional structure, a gas container, a horizontally-disposed frame attached thereto, a single reflector. rigidly secured to the frame, and Searchlight on said structure adapted to project its light againstsaid reflector and disperse its rays .down-' wardly at right angles to the axis of the frame. j

2. In illuminating mechanism, a horizontally-disposed elongated gas container, a rigid frame beneath extending from end to end, a single Searchlight and reflecting means von said frame midway between the ends, a cable attached to theforward end container and rigidly fixed to the frame, a-

light adapted to project-its beams against said reflector and to disperse its rays downwardly and a power plant onthe earth having a drum and a cable between said drum and the forward end of the frame of the gas container.

4. In illuminating apparatus,'a gas container having on said container fixed verti.-,

cal and horizontal stabilizing planes at the v extreme forward end, andvertical and horizontal tail planes at'its rear end, a frame below said container extending from end to end thereof, a reflector of large area rigidly secured to the frame midway between its,

ends and adapted to project light rays downwardly, a searchlight to direct. its beams upwardly into .said reflector, an anchoring station, a hollow anchoring cable from the forward end of the frame of the gas container to the station, and means for transmitting electricity from the anchoring powerstation to the-search'light through said hollow cable. Signed at the city of Los Angeles county of 'LoslAngeles State of California, this 20th day witnesses.

AROHIBALD J. AUSTIN.

.Witnesses;

. EDMUND KAsoLD,

J. S. ZERBE.

of March 1912, in the presence of 

